At The River's Edge
by SPWeyr
Summary: IC Date: Early Morning, 01.03.231 AL Valerian, a Stolen Candidate, meets Greenrider B'jin and assists with giving the man's dragon a bath, asking many questions and learning interesting things in the process.
1. Chapter 1

**Early Morning, 01.03.231 AL**

B'jin enjoyed bathing Larrikith. She was small, she was well rounded (but in no way fat!) and she was usually pretty compliant about assisting by standing still, or rinsing off - and she didn't usually splash him too much. All of which were, as far as B'jin was concerned, bonuses. The fact that Larrikith was a clean dragon, and spent a lot of time grooming herself, meant his work was again halved. He'd seen some greens that spent so much time covered in dirt they might as well have been brown!

Larrikith had forced him from his hut in the wee hours of the morning, demanding that today be a day of bathing, scrubbing and oiling. Which, B'jin was quite happy to comply with... but surely sleeping in wouldn't have been too much to ask for! Apparently, it was, he decided, as Larrikith glided on early morning drafts, her wings outstretched but no work being put into where she was going, or how high she was remaining. It would have been swifter to blink _between_, but she was also pretty sure B'jin's foggy mind would have caused complications - she was not willing to risk getting lost in the dark nothingness just to arrive at her bath faster. Larrikith was an intelligent dragon. She knew when to cut her losses.

Landing on the settlement side of the Hunting Ranges, Larrikith peered around the empty area with satisfaction. Apparently, it was still much too early for anyone else to bother getting up yet, and she had the are to herself. Pleased, the green dragon stood quietly as B'jin slid with very little grace from her neck to land unsteadily on the ground, before she tossed the heavy hessian sack at him. She watched for a moment in amusement as B'jin struggled to capture the bag she had carried in her clawed hands during the flight, and then she moved with a sensual grace towards the water, and slipped in, as if sliding into a silk bed. Her small, mossy green form quickly disappeared from view in the deep river, before she resurfaced and looked towards B'jin.

_Coming in?_ She teased, amused, as he tipped the bag upside down and began to dig around and sort out the items that would be required in their own particular order.

"Not likely," B'jin replied, settling himself down on the grass a good distance from the river edge - he was not going to be used as target practise for a projectile of spat water, splashed water, or dripping water, without sufficient time to at least attempt to escape. Larrikith bugled amusement, and slowly climbed out of the water, wings spread wide, water dripping from every well curved portion of her body.

_You are no fun,_ again with the teasing, and B'jin poked his tongue out at the dragon, even as he began to pick up a scrubbing brush, and soap-sands. He allowed Larrikith to carefully lay herself down before he began to throw sand over her like seasoning. As he began to carefully scrub her hide with a thick, heavy brush, B'jin's sweet, lyrical voice took to the skies, singing a bright, cheerful tune that was used to assist with educating the youngsters. Larrikith, in an oddly upbeat mood herself, joined by humming lowly, her voice thrumming deep in her throat and melding well - through years of practice - with B'jin. A dragon could, after all, only spend so much time around a Harper before she began to sing herself. B'jin was just glad she had talent. He wasn't sure how he would have survived with a tone-deaf dragon.


	2. Chapter 2

Valerian was not an early riser by choice. If he had his way no one would see him until midday, but, and his current situation was proof, one didn't always get their way. Being born into a farming family that worked from sunrise to sunset should have started the conditioning for such morning regimes and perhaps it did since even he had far too much energy to spend as a young boy. His time spent at the Harper Hall had ensured he would always rise at an appropriate time and in truth Valerian was more than willing to do just that in his first years in attendance as he was far too keen on learning what he could about the music he so enjoyed. As he aged, the desire for one more hour of sleep kicked in though he was never granted it whether from masters he oddly didn't want to disappoint even when he found some of them to be lacking in some way or from himself with his desire to not disgrace his trade's good name. He admitted he could be lazy at times but he did carry an amount of pride within as well.

So it was Valerian woke before most of the weyr. In a way, it was something he could look forward to in the strange environment he was trying to adapt to since no one was around to bother him with mundane questions about his past or what he hoped to achieve now that he was at Katila, attempting to make it seem like they wanted to know him and he wasn't just there to either help the population of dragons or at the very least teach their children that would one day become riders. Early morning was also a good time to reconnect with his first love, music, as the guitar slung over his shoulder showed, and an even better time to explore outdoors as the day hadn't approached sweltering levels just yet which made for a happy Northerner that preferred something between freezing and melting as the ideal temperature.

He had been walking around the inside of Katila's perimeter, memorizing where everything lay and finding new paths to get around the weyr with both ease and an avoidance of heavily used areas when his musically attuned ear caught a voice that could only be described as sweet and nauseatingly cheerful wholeheartedly singing one of the educational tunes. It was far too early for so much enthusiasm and that was perhaps why Valerian soon found himself following the voice until he came upon a river where green eyes went wide at what he found. That carefree yet powerful singing belonged to an older man which wasn't what surprised the young Harper but his actions and especially the accompaniment certainly did!

A bathing dragon. Was he hallucinating? It would make sense, Valerian decided, as he focused in on the humming that could only be coming from the green beauty that seemed to enjoy the scrubbing she received. It wasn't until he was two dragon lengths from the pair that he realized he had even taken a step, so enthralled was he with the scene. Given he was now a resident of a weyr seeing dragons wasn't an unusual sight but Valerian hadn't taken any efforts to introduce himself to the riders or to approach the creatures he knew from his teachings were friendly since he often preferred his own company over socializing and while he had accepted his situation and could even appreciate why the dragonriders were acquiring candidates as they were, he still wasn't ready to dive right into the new life like it was perfectly normal to be uprooted without warning or a change of clothes.

Compelled by his enjoyment of music which often outweighed the desire to be left alone, Valerian moved his guitar into position and easily took up the melody of the song the rider and dragon were, admittedly, doing justice to on their own. Perhaps it was rude to just join in as he did, fingers deftly working over the chords as feet stayed firmly planted where they were, but he didn't care. This was a chance to play with someone. He had always preferred the performance aspect of the craft over the teaching and since coming south, Valerian hadn't sought out anyone who could carry a tune to pass some time with. Besides, if this was all a hallucination, it wouldn't matter if he played or not.


	3. Chapter 3

Normally, between the pair of them, B'jin and Larrikith were aware of any who may approach them. Larrikith, being Search sensitive - a less common trait amongst greens, and one she took great pride in - was usually made aware as soon as someone with dragon-sensitivty was near. Unfortunately for the pair, dragon bathing tended to make usual skills and abilities redundant. The pair were additionally relaxed, enjoying their own odd companionship, as B'jin's children (and any strays that may have been around) were not a part of the bathing ritual for the day. That in itself meant they didn't have to be on hyper alert for drowning children, bizarre 'look at me!'s, and other odd things children did - like eating soapsand or painting each other with oil.

As as result, neither B'jin nor Larrikith noticed as Valerian approached them, and both were completely oblivious to his staring as Larrikith, with eyes closed and wings spread out and drooping low, was in dragon heaven as B'jin took to her hide with a heavy duty brush. Her humming never altered, while his voice was strong and clear. The seemingly sudden and random accompaniment of a guitar would have had a better pair falter and screw up - B'jin and Larrikith continued seamlessly - though they both paused dramatically and turned their gazes in unison to stare at the young man. Larrikith finished the song with an unhappy grunt as B'jin slipped off her foreleg to take a few steps towards his fellow Harper, head tilted curiously. He couldn't place the young man, so he obviously hadn't been responsible for his appearance at Katila. B'jin rarely went after Harpers, too touchy to the subject of recognition or lack of being able to place him. It would not be good for the Weyr if wandering Harpers (gossips that they are!) were to return to the Hall and announce they'd seen someone of his talent just wandering around without any particular reason.

"You play very well," B'jin commented. Guitar was one of his preferred instruments, and he was suitably well versed in it. He could certainly acknowledge someone that played it as well as the young man before him did. "I'm B'jin." He offered, indicating himself with the sudsy scrubbing brush still in his hand. "My green is Larrikith. You can come closer, she _won't_ splash you." The final part was said in warning, and Larrikith opened one eye - that which was closest to the two men - and it sparkled mischievously.

_Only because I wouldn't want to get his guitar wet,_ she said mildly, amused, _Harpers are so fanatic about their instruments._

Her comments, while not directed at Valerian, were open for him to hear, if he were open to the thought of hearing them. It was a fun game she enjoyed playing with Candidates, especially the ones that would hear pieces of comments. She was a bit quirky like that. B'jin rolled his eyes, and smiled at Valerian as he went back to scrubbing Larrikith, focusing carefully on the panes of her delicate face. His gaze flickered back to Valerian at intervals, wondering what he'd do. "You're welcome to help," B'jin offered, the words almost a question. He wasn't sure how well _that_ would go down, when most of their new Northern imports preferred the idea of roasting a dragon, as opposed to bathing it.


	4. Chapter 4

"Of course I do," Valerian replied matter-of-factly. He wasn't modest and saw no need for that skill especially if the compliments were already flying. He was, however, a bit surprised that a Katilian had been the one to issue it. Sure, someone obviously saw how amazing he was and the potential he had to also Impress a dragon or he wouldn't be standing by a river watching one be bathed but it seemed like his only jobs now were to make sure that actually did happen and to help keep the Weyr running. But a dragonrider, B'jin, had taken only a moment to show interest in him and commented favourably and not to tell him to go back to his chores.

Still as awestruck as he was at the sight of Larrikith, Valerian still remembered the manners drilled into him by his mother and sisters as well as too much time at Harper Hall and introduced himself in turn, or at least tried to, "I'm Va-" his gasp ended his name and he took a stumbling step backward as a distinctly feminine voice struck him. Even though it didn't seem like it came from the surrounding area, green eyes still did a quick sweep of the river and he even spun around like a gullible brat but found no one to call out as the culprit of the choppy sentence he had heard. When his gaze returned to the dragon, his head tilted to the left to study her in quiet contemplation. He knew all about the amazing abilities that dragons possessed and believing he had been the recipient of such a rare treat was an easy task.

Even with patching together what he had heard and assuming Larrikith had promised not to get his guitar wet, Valerian still set down his prized, and now only, possession at his feet and attempted a casual stroll toward the pair. "I'm Valerian," he blurted out his name once he came to stand only an arm's length from Larrikith, realizing he hadn't quite accomplished that reply before. His hand rose, intent to touch the creature before him but odd to his nature, he hesitated and wasn't sure why. He had been given permission to help bathe her after all so there wasn't any harm in doing just that or acquainting himself with the feel of a dragon's hide.


	5. Chapter 5

While B'jin was aware of the fact that a lot of the Northerners would go well out of their way to avoid doing any chores they were assigned, he was also aware that they had rest days and there were some few that tended to finish their chores early. However, given the early nature of the day, B'jin was inclined to think the young man either hadn't started his chores yet or was enjoying a rest day, much like B'jin was planning on doing. At any rate, the greenrider grinned at Valerian's simple statement, and then chuckled softly when Larrikith's bespeaking him caused him to stutter.

The Searchrider watched with amusement as his fellow Harper seemed to come towards them in a dreamlike state, obviously still trying to comprehend the situation in which he had found himself that bright morning. B'jin's grin was wide and heartfelt, while Larrikith's maw twisted in a wolfish grin of her own as Valerian finally shared his name with them, and hovered beside her. Larrikith crooned deeply in her throat, the sound warm and inviting as she watched Valerian with one warmly swirling eye. _This_ was what it was to be a Search dragon! The reaction Valerian was giving her was what she had missed - the awe, the amazement! She gave a gusty sigh of contentment and shifted her weight ever so slightly, so that his hesitant hand fell upon her hide as she breathed in deeply and exhaled that warm breath all over his face.

Then she gave a high pitched chirp of amusement and flicked her right wing out for B'jin to scrub.

"She likes you," he said simply to Valerian, grinning. "Here," B'jin waited until he had Valerian's attention before he tossed a smaller scrubbing brush towards the Candidate. It was one the kids tended to use, when they helped him bathe the impossible dragon. "You want to use enough pressure to not be a waste of time," B'jin explained as he began detailing on Larrikith's extended wing, "but not so much as to damage the skin. Dragons have sensitive skin." B'jin's tone was light and pleasent as he explained - not at all lecturing - as he simply explained something he knew many people at Katila didn't know.

"Your arms are likely to be killing you within a quarter hour." He added, smirking. With his dark blue shirt's sleeves folded to just above his elbows, the muscles that had formed from years of dragon-based labour were mostly hidden. Loose calico pants hung to past his ankles, and his feet were bare. Not a particularly striking outfit, but more than acceptable for bathing a dragon that was usually insistant upon dunking him in the water at some point or another.

_Go on,_ Larrikith encouraged, this time focusing enough to make sure Valerian heard her every word. _In the unlikely event you hurt me, I will inform you._


	6. Chapter 6

There had been some odd fear in the back of Valerian's mind that if he made contact with this green beauty than it would all disappear and he'd wake under the tree near the Harper Hall from an afternoon nap. He wasn't particularly thrilled with the method of arriving at Katila or all of the aspects of life in the South but Valerian couldn't deny how excited he was to be near dragons and didn't want to lose that perk in life. Perhaps it was one of the reasons why he avoided dragons and their riders up to this moment, though the reason of dragonriders being conceited and irritating was still more the likely reason. So he had to thank Larrikith for taking the initiative for getting his hand to touch her and even making him quietly laugh at the breath to his face. "You're so soft," he wasn't sure what he was expecting but the smooth hide beneath his calloused fingers was a pleasant surprise and he gave slow short strokes to further learn the feel of a dragon. The best part? She didn't vanish and he wasn't left standing near Harper Hall!

Once he realized his mind was wandering away on him and B'jin was waiting for his attention, Valerian nodded and accepted the smaller brush, eyeing it with suspicion. Was he just given a toy model for kids to assist with? Considering his lack of experience and his unexpected appearance he supposed it was this or nothing and while cleaning a dragon was probably seen as a chore, it was a new experience and even an honour for the harper to be allowed to help. He followed B'jin's example and copied his movements and tried to match the pressure used, trusting that he wouldn't be led astray and hurt Larrikith since it wouldn't benefit B'jin in any way.

It was after a few minutes of concentrating on the task that had started out as stressful but soon had him relaxing and almost enjoying it, Valerian found his voice again with opinions that needed to be shared, "I like her, too, but I'm not so sure about you yet." His gaze went to B'jin and he studied the older harper as if he could learn everything there was to know about the greenrider from just that method. "You're just so… cheerful."


	7. Chapter 7

Larrikith was preening, there was no other word for the waves of pride and delight that were coursing off the green dragon. She hadn't felt so appreciated in so many turns, and it was damned sharding good to have an appreciative candidate gawking at her. She truely missed those days, of appearing above a Hold or Hall, and delicately and oh-so-beautifully dropping into their gather areas, preening delicately while her mind so-subtly poked around the brains to find a potential candidate. Those were the days, when being a Search dragon was a thing of high honour and extremely good luck (especially for a green, who normally weren't that ept act picking out candidates)

Larrikith had a great mind for candidates, and she had realised that quickly. After all, she had known the moment she cracked shell that there wasn't _anyone_ worthy of she on the Sands, and instead, arrowed in on the young boy Benjinamor like a hunter on a target. He hadn't know what had hit him, and when he did, it was far too late to escape her loving clutches! Larrikith crooned as Valerian stroked her, and she turned an adoring gaze upon the young man, eyes sparkling in a whirl of warm colours.

_Its disgusting, isn't it?_ Larrikith quipped, adusting her wing so B'jin could do the underside without breaking his neck. She tilted her head slightly, watching the two men labour over her hide and felt quite content. It was good to be the center of such attention.

"I have my days," B'jin replied lightly, smiling at his fellow harper.

_Wait til he gets Proddy!_Larrkkith snipped in again, her tone malicious and delighted. B'jin kicked her in the leg with his bare toes.


	8. Chapter 8

"Extremely," Valerian answered aloud without hesitation or realizing he was already getting used to the extra voice in his head. He was living a childhood dream by scrubbing clean a dragon and best of all, speaking with her! It made him forget the woes of adjusting to a new lifestyle he was unexpectedly thrust into and the way he was viewed as almost a means to repopulating the Weyr. But when that gaze of swirling colours that conveyed as much adoration as the crooning Larrikith did, Valerian forgot himself, utterly mesmerized. How could anyone hate the gentle beasts that were now becoming simple legends and tales the old folks told after dinner? He could understand the hatred so many Candidates had for the weyrfolk and the way they gathered new blood to Stand before a clutch as even he was often on the fence about the method but in that exact moment? Valerian decided he'd be okay with being Stolen again if it led to the same look Larrikith currently gave him.

After savouring the moment and committing it to memory, perhaps for a song to be written about it later on, Valerian forced himself back to the present and all that surrounded him, including the greenrider that seemed to be enjoying all of this; and still with a smile in place! Unfortunately, Valerian found he was smiling as well and tried to bite it back before B'jin took it as a sign of acceptance and camaraderie. "heh, not sure I want to see him proddy since I know where that leads." He wrinkled his nose at the thought of him, B'jin, and a bed colliding and then sighed, shaking his hand to regain feeling as the tender ache in his muscles from too much scrubbing started to take over as top priority.


	9. Chapter 9

Larrikith gave a deep rumble of laughter, approving of the young man that was assisting with scrubbing her, and his cynical nature. Turning around, she nuzzled gently at his shoulder, conveying her delight with him without actually having to speak. B'jin rolled his eyes heavenward, his expression highly amused, and shook his head in a mocking display of despair. He choked slightly, half laugh and half gasp, as his proddiness was brought up, and an irritated though amused glance was given to the green dragon.

"You like her now, wait until _she_ is proddy." B'jin quipped, poking Larrikith as he climbed up onto her back and examined the current damage to her wing joints. She was healing nicely from her last flight, and most of the scratches were little more than new scarring. However, she was due to fly later in the season, and he was more than a little anxious about exactly how much damage would occur when that happened; her last flight had been a little rougher than usual and he'd had to ask a Candidate to assist with patching her up. Damnedable numbweed. "You think _I'm_ too cheerful? She turns into a pile of sweet mush." He smirked delightedly as Larrikith turned and gave him an irritated hiss. Ignoring her, he settled as comfortably as possible on her wide back and carefully washed the skin around her wing joints.

Larrikith, for her part, turned her pretty green head to watch Valerian, and her eyes swirled with high amusement. _Hahaha,_ the green dragon spoke the words into Valerian's mind as she caught the image he had tried to shove away and she dragged it back to the for-front of his mind with highly amused determination. Her amusement was thick as she poked around, unasked, in his mind - in particular that scene he had created. _You amuse me greatly,_ she laughed, eyes bright and sparkling.

Still atop Larrikith's back, B'jin was peering down suspiciously at Valerian. "What are you two talking about?" Obviously, Larrikith wasn't sharing what she was up to, and the suspicion on B'jin's face could easily lead that such occasions _rarely_ turned out well for the rider. He poked Larrikith roughly with a pout. "Larri," his tone was warning. "Get out of his mind, you horrible beast!" She flicked her wing, but otherwise ignored him in favour of rumbling her laughter vocally.


	10. Chapter 10

Valerian stumbled back two steps and made extremely unflattering noises that sounded like he had just had poorly cooked dinner featuring his least favourite food as the image he had tried to keep from forming hit him hard and with more detail than he would have been able to supply. Given Larrikith's statement he had a feeling she had something to do with the vividness of the idea and filling in the blanks of how B'jin would like nude on a bed. He waved a hand in front of his face as if doing so would dispel the image but if it did, he wouldn't care how silly he had to look to the rider left in the dark about his thoughts. When the images finally began fading back into the recesses of his mind where they would hopefully be locked down and never brought up again, he wrinkled his nose again and briefly wondered if hanging around dragons was such an amazing thing after all. "I didn't need to see him," Valerian pointed at B'jin with the brush he still held, "sprawled on furs giving come hither eyes." How much of that was Larrikith's inspiration or some fantasy he had with anyone but the greenrider, he wasn't sure, but either way, he was holding his ground with the beautiful green trickster.

He cocked his head to one side and then the other as he considered Larrikith and then gave her a good poke to the snout with an accusing finger, "aren't you a tad small compared to the others I've seen around?" He didn't care what size she was, and if she was still in his mind than Larrikith would know that, but Valerian had to get his own little revenge in for her mental torture and the question he'd wanted to ask since finding his words again upon coming across the pair seemed like a small but good enough way.


	11. Chapter 11

"LARRI!" Every letter of her nickname was said with a shriek of scandal as Valerian spoke aloud of what she had shown him. B'jin, equally horrified and amused, threw his brush at the back of the dragon's head, and cackled triumphantly when it hit her with a particularly satisfying _thump_. This, of course, had Larrikith respond with a jerk of her body that sent B'jin tumbling from her back and onto the ground where he landed with an _omph_ as Larrikith carefully stood over him, twisting her head to peer down with one eye which was whirling rapidly with amusement and delight.

_I win!_ She crowed, giving B'jin a smug look before turning her attention back upon Valerian. Her nose still tingled from where he'd poked her, but she didn't mind. Instead, she breathed gustily in his face and gave B'jin a playful swipe with her tail as the man was attempting to find his feet, sending him sprawling with a mighty splash into the water he had been hoping to avoid greeting. Spluttering, B'jin surfaced as Larrikith bespoke the younger man, including her own bonded in the conversation this time.

_I am fun sized._ Larrikith cheered sarcastically, her tone filled with delighted mischief as her eyes took on tones that indicated the young man was about to get seriously wet if he wasn't careful.

"RUN!" B'jin yelped, before bursting into laughter as Larrikith advanced on the Candidate, her wings flared out and down to create barriers and her face a wolfish grin. She would get him back for that particular slight, and soaking him seemed like the _perfect_ way!


	12. Chapter 12

Valerian was actually surprised by the way B'jin and Larrikith treated each other. When the brush was thrown at the dragon, his mouth dropped in shocked since he had always believed the riders would never dream of hurting their mates, but there was B'jin skilfully tossing objects at his dragon and laughing triumphantly about it. His shock turned into amusement when Larrikith unceremoniously dumped her rider to the ground and turned on him. It was then that Valerian realized this actually counted as playing and the tiny beauty was much more resilient than his mind was making up. When she turned back to him, tail swinging to send B'jin into the water as she announced she was fun-sized, the younger harper could do nothing but laugh and agree, "I can see that!"

It was just a shame that her revenge wasn't over and B'jin's warning to run came too late. The wings that came down to act as barriers stopped his attempts to turn one way and then the other which left doing an about-face and trying to outrun a dragon but Valerian already knew that would be in vain and just waste energy. His fate would soon be that of B'jin's. "Making sure we both end up in wet clothes to be shucked? Now you're just making up reasons for me to be naked with him." The frown he wanted to give never came as the laughter continued.


	13. Chapter 13

Larrikith gave a gurgle of laughter at Valerian's statement, her eyes whirling rapidly with delighted amusement as she sat back on her hind quarters, and gave the younger harper a solid shove with her foreleg, intent on sending him sprawling ever closer to the water. Standing back up, she tossed her head, spreading her wings wide as she did so, and snorting in amusement; _You are the one with straying thoughts, little musician._ she snickered, highly amused. If the little harper wanted to Fly with her bonded, she was fine with that - though she highly doubted the young man had any idea of the challenge he was in for should he try. B'jin had habit of being an untouchable ice-queen when it came to sleeping around outside a flight. The idea of watching the interactions between the two men, however, far outweighed anything else on the amusement ratio as far as the dragon was concerned, and she was always up for laughing at another's expense. Particularly B'jin.

_In you go! _she crowed, lowering her head and gently butting against Valerian's chest, she flicked her nose up, the motion designed to send the young man flying backwards into the water. She let out a chirp as she watched him sail, then rumbled with laughter as B'jin was sent sprawling under water again mid-curse when the young man practically landed on top of him. _! Look out B'jin, you fool!_ Larrikith shriek, though her mind voice was coated in thick amusement, and she shared her thoughts with both men, _far_ too amused and please with herself at the resulting chaos that had started as a bathing session. Bringing her spread wings down strongly, she pushed off in a great leap, and barely sailed over the two soaking men before landing in the water herself with a massive splash.

_Rinse me!_ She demanded, giving the pair of them a smug look over her shoulder.


	14. Chapter 14

Even knowing it was going to happen, green eyes wide in shock took in the image of the snickering dragon before hitting the water with a less than soft landing as B'jin ended up being partially in the way. He decided the best course of action for the moment, at least until he found his footing again, was to ignore the sassy green that was having far too much fun poking fun at them both now. He still liked her attitude of taking enjoyment in someone else's minor suffering but he much preferred it to be aimed at B'jin only. So he'd just have to do it himself and then focus on revenge.

As he made it to his feet before the rider, Valerian took great pleasure, as the large grin he wore showed, in shoving B'jin back down, knowing even as he did so that he had been lucky in catching the man already off-balance and that he may be double-teamed soon enough, which meant he'd be the one never leaving the river again. But he'd worry about that if it came. He had a dragon to thank for the bath. With his hands dipping into the water, Valerian attempted to splash water towards the currently annoying dragon, knowing as he did so that it wouldn't bother her but it helped relieve the bit of frustration building at having to battle Larrikith when it was already clear she would have the upper hand in physical challenges.

"Do you really think he's my sort?" Valerian grumbled as he sloshed his way over to Larrikith, arms crossing over his chest as he contemplated his next move and what he had just said. He really didn't have a type, but he was certain B'jin wouldn't rank given that cheerful attitude he'd seen so far and the disturbing images Larrikith had provided. And there went his mind again! He was blaming the green every time his mind wandered in that direction. Time to act! She had told him at the start that she'd inform him if he hurt her, which he didn't want to do, and didn't think he could anyway but at least he'd know when enough was enough before she ate him.

He had no idea how to climb atop a dragon and didn't think Larrikith would let him get that far up anyway before knocking him down so another tactic had to be employed. Arms went to Larrikith's neck and attempts to pull downwards in order to dunk her head under water began. They went about as well as he expected they would with the dragon budging not even inch though Valerian suspected the light vibrations he felt was akin to laughter. Ugh, dragons! No, more specifically; ugh, bratty little greens! He threw his arms up in frustration and then gave her another poke on the nose, "would you at least humour me and dip your head in the water?" It was the least she could do after everything!


	15. Chapter 15

B'jin was just beginning to find his feet, after being used as a body board for the flying young man, when his deep breath of relief was quickly turned into a squeak of surprise as Valerian gave him a solid shove. Arms flung wide, B'jin reentered the water with a splash, getting water up his nose as he did so. Resurfacing amidst choking and spluttering, B'jin glared halfheartedly at the pair as he fought to refill his lungs with air. Apparently, Larrikith had found her match, and B'jin was not at all sure how that was going to merit for him. Not good, if the past five minutes were anything to go by! Sweeping his hair back from his face with one hand, B'jin burst into laughter as Valerian tried valiantly to dunk his dragon.

"Dragon dunking is a fine art," B'jin smirked, watching Larrikith lazily as she spread her wings out wide under the water. His expression turned, his eyes narrowing and teeth showing as his smirk widened into an expression of doom. This was going to be highly entertaining!

Larrikith, for her part, tilted her head mockingly at Valerian as he poked her in the nose, and she gave him her most innocent look. _Humour yo_u? she queried innocently, as if she had never heard of such a word. _Like this?_She suddenly growled, her sharp voice rich with mischief as she took her recently-poked nose and used it to shove Valerian in the chest and hold him lightly under the water, her head totally submerged, the first two lids sweeping over her eyes to protect them from the element. Her teeth were revealed as she gave a wolfish smile.

Ignoring the fact that his dragon was apparently intent upon drowning her new friend, B'jin scrambled up her spine, slipping and sliding on her wet hide, as he attempted to find himself a safe location to sit, out of the water and immediate risk of being dunked, and peered around the side of her submerged green face, looking at the younger harper, also buried under water. Larrikith's face, while touching Valerian's chest, was in no way forcing him to remain underwater; While B'jin was pretty sure she wouldn't baulk at drowning someone, he was also pretty sure she wouldn't drown either of them. One was suicide, the other she appeared to be infatuated with.


	16. Chapter 16

This time, there was no wide-eyed shocked expression but there was a squeaked out curse that sounded just before his back hit the water and any other complaints or indignant notes were lost beneath the surface. Was a dragon seriously trying to drown him while being a cheeky brat at the same time? It was like Larrikith was a dragon-form of himself. Valerian would have smiled at that thought if it wasn't for the whole being pinned under water portion of the entertainment. Actually, that wasn't even entirely true, he realized seconds later when a wiggle attempt at freedom proved it was far easier than it should have been if the Larrikith was serious in her attempt to hold him under. Without another thought, Valerian continued his wriggling with arms and legs flailing about to help him swim away from the submerged head. At least he could say he got a dragon's head under the water?

Gasping and sputtering as he surfaced, Valerian's glare travelled between Larrikith and B'jin, though it was momentarily lost beneath the wet mess of wavy hair matted to his face. He quickly brushed it back and continued the glaring before sighing and shaking his head at the insanity he had managed to bring into his life. "Yes, Larrikith, like that," he finally replied to the green's taunting in a flat, sarcastic drawl. While he was still adored the dragon, the initial mesmerizing affect she had on him had definitely passed and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to be tormented by the green beast. It was why instead of back-pedalling to get away from the odd pair and the water, Valerian moved closer and addressed B'jin for the first time in quite a while.

"How do I get up there?"


	17. Chapter 17

Larrikith raised her head delicately above the surface of the water when Valerian had swum out from under her nose, and she gave her head a sharp _flick_, sending water spraying and casuing B'jin to yelp and grasp hold of her wing joints, to which he was closest, and held tight as the little green steadied herself. When she was safely still once more, B'jin turned to grin at the very wet harper spluttering in the water. His expression didn't falter at all, even when under Valerian's glare, instead he seemed to find it that much more entertaining and simply smirked smugly.

Larrikith gave a rumble of amusement at his reply, eyes bright, and wriggled under the water, feeling B'jin slipping on her back as he was once more startled and made wild grabs at her wing joints. Turning, she gave him an amused look before standing tall and folding her wings tightly to her side. She snorted, the breath causing the water to ripple when Valerian addressed her rider.

"Um," was B'jin's articulate reply, and he blinked, unsure how to tell the young man how he'd gotten up. "Grab a fat roll - and scramble!" His comment was broken by choked laughter as Larrikith responded to the word 'fat' by twisting sharply and staring at B'jin, her eyes a rainbow of colours, nearly unseating the man in the process._You're just jealous because you look like a little girl,_ she responded, tone overly sweet as she crooned vocally. B'jin burst into laughter and waved Valerian up.

"C'mon. She'll wanna be oiled and its easier to start at top."

Larrikith waited with surprising patience as Valerian scrambled aboard, watching with obvious amusement, before she climbed out of the water and back to the relatively dry shore line.


	18. Chapter 18

It was a little strange to 'grab a fat roll and scramble up' as B'jin had put it but he had managed it somehow, despite the dripping clothes that clung to his body and the slick surface he had to work with. Valerian had expected Larrikith to take advantage of his time climbing to move and send him back into the water but was pleasantly surprised that she didn't and gave her a gentle pat once he was atop her and settled. It was also strange to be sitting atop a dragon. He knew it technically wasn't his first time given he had to be on one to make the trip South when he was Stolen but that didn't count thanks to that whole being unconscious thing. So it was surreal to say the least to be riding on the supposed extinct creature's back as she moved from water to dryer land.

"Do you tend to her like this daily?" It was more a question of curiosity, a desire to know about dragons and even weyr-life but as soon as he said it, Valerian realized it could be taken as an inquiry to want to help more regularly. Despite the bath he was given in the process of assisting to Larrikith's hygiene and the attempted drowning, it wasn't entirely a repulsive idea. The little green had a fascinating personality and enjoyed picking on B'jin. He was clearly meant to be friends with her.


	19. Chapter 19

"Good Faranth no!" B'jin replied, startled out of his wandering thoughts by Valerian's question. Shaking his head to emphasise his response, B'jin took the sack of supplies from Larrikith as she lifted it in her jaws and passed it to him. The man dug around for a bit, before pulling out a large sealed pot and a couple of spongy cloths. "I'd never have time to do anything!" he added, smiling, and passed his fellow Harper a cloth.

"I mean, when we were Weyrlings, of course, that was different." B'jin continued, even as he opened the sealed container and dipped his cloth in it. Offering it to Valerian to dip into, he continued his explanation. "When they're growing, you have to bathe them just about every day, and oiling is essential. That's a basic oil with lavender in it, because Larri and I like the scent, anyway, once they get a big bigger and stop growing like a weed, you can stagger it back. Larri has a bath about once every sevenday, or every two sevendays? I'll oil her more regularly, if she has an itchy spot, like that one," B'jin indicated some slightly cracked skin around the dragon's healing wing joints, "the scars," he indicated the discoloured lines that decorated the joint and surrounding areas, "are from her flights."

B'jin's method of oiling was more akin to simply slapping the stuff on and swirling it around a little until it shone rather than dribbled down the dragon's side. He did take notable care to oil where she was scabbing with delicate care, before moving on, shifting himself comically backwards in a shuffle as he went. "Sometimes she'll con some of the Weyrbrats into giving her a bath or oiling her, if she wants one that badly." He shrugged, "she won't let them paint her, though, so sometimes they won't do as she asks because they don't get as much fun out of it as, say, Grith." He didn't bother to elaborate on who Grith was - _everyone_ knew who Grith was. Besides the fact that she was often covered in outrageous amounts of paint, the dragon was loud and most everyone had heard her at least once.

"Some of the kids don't take her humour that well, either," B'jin added, as he smiled at Valerian. "She doesn't always toss people in the river." What other things she got up to, he left to the young man's imagination.


	20. Chapter 20

Valerian nodded here and there during B'jin's explanation, catching what was said but focusing more on his new task. He wasn't a man to take enjoyment in manual labour and extreme physical exertion yet there he was with the sun still rising with arms already sore from scrubbing green hide and now taking care to rub the oil on properly. He tried to convince himself he was either drunk, hung over, or drugged to act such a way but Valerian knew as he dabbed his cloth in the container for a bit more oil, that he was utterly charmed by the unpredictable beast with a huge mischievous streak. Although unpredictable also worked to describe Grith, the loud dragon he had only seen once, covered in paint, but heard frequently with brats calling after her. Weyr life was incredibly strange.

He hesitated a moment when B'jin complimented him on his reactions Larrikith's behaviour and then let it hang in the air the implications that she could be ruthless in her play. He already knew she wasn't opposed to drowning someone so Valerian's mind wandered from there leading him to Larrikith pushing the brats into mud which was fairly innocent though the thoughts of her dropping someone while flying tipped the scale to downright evil.

Even through the shudder he received from his wandering thoughts he tried to ignore, green eyes kept returning to the scarring until Valerian gave in and gently touched an older looking one, "don't you ever worry something worse will happen in her flights and does she ever get revenge on the ones who mar her hide?"


	21. Chapter 21

B'jin paused thoughtfully, sitting back and frowning absently as he considered carefully the questions Valerian had raised. "Always," he finally answered, voice a low murmur and his frown slowly faded away. "Larrikith's desire to avoid repeat flights has caused some issues. She normally manages no more than getting deeper clawing." B'jin brushed his fingers gently over a few of the darker, deeper scarring. He didn't expand on how such instances reflected on his portion of the flight; he was pretty sure Valerian didn't need to know those details, and he would be informed of the ups and downs of dragonflights should he Impressed. _If B'jin weren't so hold-bound, my flight requirements wouldn't be such an issue,_ Larrikith put in tartly, her mind touching that of both men. B'jin rolled his eyes, but didn't bother to dignify her accusations with an answer. He was well aware that she flew new dragons every flight _because_ he was more than happy with a steady partner; she was of the mind that he needed to broaden his horizons or some such bullocks and did that forcefully by subjecting him to a new man or woman whenever she was randy.

"Gold flights are the ones to fear," B'jin said, leaning forward and returning to his oiling before swinging his leg over and sliding lightly down Larrikith's side to begin work on her wing itself. "If one gold takes to the skies, the rest are required to abandon the Weyr, lest they fight over the males that chase." B'jin shook his head. "Greens are more relaxed. They might get feisty, but they won't actually bitch about it, so well, the worse that can happen is her getting clawed by randy chasers." B'jin stroked Larrikith's main wing bone lovingly, muttering endearments to the dragon under his breath.

"Not that I'm aware of," B'jin shrugged. "If she takes a shine to whomever flies her, she may curl up with them afterwards. Otherwise she takes off as soon as all is done and won't let them near her again - if they mess her up too badly, she will just ignore them. I think there are only a handful that have flown her more than once; Those are the ones you know she likes, for whatever reason." He smiled slightly. "She's a terrible beast, my Larri."

_One does one's best,_ Larrik crooned, amused, and nuzzled B'jin's side. _Flights are fun, and exciting,_ Larrikith said, resting her chin on B'jin's head and eyeing Valerian with softly swirling eyes.


	22. Chapter 22

He had a lot to think about when it came to not only bonding to a dragon but what they went through with flights and the etiquette involved. At least they only currently had the one gold so they wouldn't have to worry about anything too extreme happening in that regard but he'd have to try to keep a closer eye on when the greens took to the sky and how a chase progressed. With a soft sigh borne of confusion all the new knowledge brought on, Valerian glanced down at the rider and dragon watching him. He wasn't sure he wanted to get down yet, that childish delight at sitting atop a dragon urged him to stay parked where he was but even he knew when he was pushing it too far and would get called out on it. Besides, B'jin held half the key to seeing Larrikith again and regardless of what he thought about the rider, the dragon was interesting.

He ended up waiting as long as he could, checking that every inch that could be reached from that position had been coated nicely before ending the little kid fantasy. He had watched to see how B'jin would dismount before trying it himself as there was a small inkling of fear in the back of his mind that he would hurt Larrikith if his foot caught somewhere, despite the instructions of earlier to just scramble up her side. Once he was back on the ground, Valerian gave her another light pat, his own little silent thank you for letting him climb all over her though he still frowned at the scarring that had brought up more of his questions, "She seems to have good taste since she likes me and chose you so she could pester you daily, so I'll believe she knows what she's doing in flights and how she runs them and handles her partners."

That, he felt, was probably a good note to leave on before he overstayed his welcome. "I should probably get back and change for breakfast," he found the bag the spongy cloth had been removed from earlier to return it and turned back to address more Larrikith than B'jin though the rider was still included, "Thanks for …giving me sore arms, attempting to drown me, and spending some time with me. It was fun," the last part was said softly as Valerian was almost embarrassed to admit to such a thing. Yes, it was definitely time to make his exit.


	23. Chapter 23

B'jin watched in amusement from the corner of his eye as the younger Harper put off sliding down Larrikith for as long as possible. He could understand the alluring quality that a dragon offered; strong, beautiful and, for these kids, something that were supposed to be long lost. Even as he oiled the underside of Larrikith's outstretched wing, B'jin wondered absently how it would feel, to be suddenly told that the dragon population wasn't as dead and gone as many had spent the past decade and a half believing. He'd stolen enough of the youngsters running around to have some idea of what they went through, but it was a very different thing to see as to feel.

The man's wandering mind was brought back from _between_ when Valerain spoke, and the greenrider peered out from under Larrikith's wing to meet the young man's eye. "Silly beast walked past three handfuls of Candidates and climbed halfway up the Stands to get to me." B'jin said drolly, his expression flat. He had been so captivated by recording the Impression of her brothers and sisters he'd hardly seen the little green creeling for his attention at the steps. She had quickly rectified _that_, of course.

_You wouldn't _believe_ the effort I had to go to, to get the fool's attention,_ Larrikith added blandly, eyeing Valerian off. B'jin snorted in amusement and stepped out from under her wing, giving it a light push; Larrikith obliged by tucking it to her side neatly and outstretched the other, amusement visible in her sparkling eyes which were whirling swiftly.

"Not that she remembers it personally." He muttered, amused, as he stepped to her other side to do the offered wing. "But she spends enough time manipulating my memories to think she does." Their mental bond was close; half the time B'jin wasn't even sure where his thoughts started and hers ended. Other times, trying to dig into the dragon's brain was impossible. Of course, he was just as skilled at blocking her when he needed to. Weyrling training had its perks.

"Larri's taste is questionable," B'jin laughed, "as for her flights-" he shrugged, "we survive them." He shot Larrikith an amused look before nodding thoughtfully. "You're most welcome. Perhaps we'll see you again." It was an open ended invitation more than a question, said lightly for the young Harper to take or leave as he wished, without having to specify either.

_You are welcome, Little Musician._ Larrikith chirped, amused. _It was indeed enjoyable,_her tone was many things on that one, mischief thick. _Don't forget your guitar! B'jin did once. Didn't hear the end of it for weeks._ Exhaling gustily in Valerian's face, Larrikith watched the young man fondly before snorting at B'jin, apparently exchanging some kind of taunt, since the man responded by throwing the oiled cloth in her face.


	24. Chapter 24

"I'm not as old as B'jin to suffer from memory lapses," Valerian replied with a smirk though the breaths to his face that Larrikith seemed to enjoy doing far too much continued to make his face scrunch up in irritation. Even still, the dragon had yet to do something to make him lower his appraisal of her.

"I think mine is questionable as well since I'm considering liking you," Valerian was done with mumbling and made sure that was said clearly since it was a small jab at the greenrider. B'jin was annoyingly chipper and not much seemed to faze him; the latter of which wasn't too bad of a trait since it meant his snark wouldn't earn him a fist to the face. But such unwavering enthusiasm could be a bit too much for the relaxed Harper and sometimes left him feeling nauseated when around it for too long. The fact that B'jin was a Harper and actually a tad interesting on top of that earned the man more points than Valerian really wanted to give out but he was in a generous mood thanks his lifted spirits from playing around with the crazy duo.

The tale of how Larrikith found her way to B'jin had made him chuckle but it was only as he returned to where his guitar had been left, still thankfully dry, that Valerian was hit with a startling reality. "That was you?" He turned back, slowly, sharp green eyes moving from man to dragon and back again, as if taking them in for the first time under this new light, "I read that record." In his earlier years, he had read every record he could that revolved around dragons thanks to suffering from an intense curiosity about creatures he couldn't believe had been wiped out so easily by a plague. He could never tell anyone from his old life that his secret musings had been right but that blow to his bragging rights was cushioned with the knowledge that he was on talking terms with a cheeky green.

Despite the urge to stay and hear more about their Impressing and even how B'jin's life was suddenly changed, which could be argued was akin to his own life changing, Valerian turned on his heel, free hand lifting for a lazy wave as he went. He'd likely come across the greenrider again sometime and could bombard him with more questions then. For now, he had a stomach that was starting to rumble and damp clothes that needed removing.


End file.
